Visiting composer to give concert, master classes, workshops

September 15, 2010

Internationally acclaimed, multi-talented composer and keyboard artist Phillip Keveren will perform a concert and provide workshops to individuals and groups during his Mississippi State University campus visit this weekend.
Keveren, who is known for the versatility of his original works and concert performances, composes in a variety of genres and is widely commended for his piano publications.
Billed as â€śImprovisation and Piano in Christian Worship,â€ť all events associated with Keverenâ€™s performances and on-campus workshops are free and open to the public.
His appearances at MSU are hosted by the department of music and funded through a J.W. Criss Foundation grant.
Keverenâ€™s accomplishments include co-author, major composer, and orchestrator of the internationally-applauded â€śHal Leonard Student Piano Library,â€ť a complete method for young students.
In his concert in Lee Hallâ€™s Bettersworth Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17, Keveren will perform his own compositions and arrangements, including an improvised section with assistance from Robert Damm, MSU music professor.
The program will also include compositions for violin and piano, assisted by private violin instructor Shandy Phillips on violin; and piano, harpsichord and violin, assisted by Phillips and Jackie Edwards-Henry, MSU professor of piano and piano pedagogy. The concert also will include a choir anthem including the MSU Chamber Singers, directed by MSU choir director Bruce Lesley.
A prolific musical arranger, orchestrator, and producer living in Tennessee, Keveren received a bachelorâ€™s degree in music from California State University in Northridge and a masterâ€™s in composition from the University of Southern California.
In addition to the concert performance, Keveren will hold 14 master classes on Friday and Saturday.
Along with master classes, workshops will be held Sept. 16-18 and will include â€ś21st Century Church Musician,â€ť â€śBuilding Blocks, Keyboard Harmony,â€ť â€śImprovisation,â€ť â€śArranging and Re-Arranging,â€ť and â€śPutting It All Together.â€ť
For information on scheduling a group or individual session with Keveren, call 662-312-7301 or e-mail jeh@ra.msstate.edu.